Gutter pantiles



w; as, 1956 Filed April 19, 1951 w. LUDOWICI GUTTER PANTILES 4 Sheecs-Sheet 1 In venl'or Jdwr'bi W wvOMM- Oct. 16, 1956 w. LUDOWlCl 2,766,706

GUTTER PANTILES Filed April 19, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 V lnvenrbr YVI- Ludo 01 1 Oct. 16, 1956 Filed April 19, 1951 W. LUDOWlCl GUTTER PANTILES 4 SheetsSheet 4 INVENTOR. WILHELM Luoowrcz States Application April 19, 1951, Serial No. 221,866 In Germany June 17, 1949 Public Law 619, August 23, 19524 Patent expires June 17, 1969 1 Claim. (Cl. 108-10) This invention relates to fold or gutter pantiles.

Hitherto known fold pantiles cannot offer the same advantages of bonded roofing as is the case, for example, of double-trough gutter tiles. In the case of fold pantiles, the roofing is produced fold on fold and, consequently, the security of the lateral or side fold against penetration by rain water is just as important as the rapid and certain drainage of the water, which has already penetrated, back to the visible surface of the tile. It is true that, with regard to the meeting point of every four fold pantiles at the so-called four-tile corner, a certain improvement has already been obtained to the extent that a very precise manufacture can fulfill the stringent requirements of an exact shape and exact dimensions. However, in practice these conditions are frequently not fulfilled.

it is an o'o'ect of the present invention to provide some other eficient method of sealing for the four-tile corner so that less stringent requirements of accuracy are necessary in the manufacture of the tiles.

While many foldings, such as, for example, the folding of the double-trough gutter tiles, begin on the visible surface with an upwardly open joint, i. e., a joint which is perpendicular to the surface of the roof (hereinafter referred to as a perpendicular joint), it was considered advantageous to provide fold pantiles wherein atent Q ce the folding begins next to the visible surface of the tile with a horizontal joint, i. e., a joint which is parallel to the surface of the roof (hereinafter referred to as parallel joint). This erroneous view, however, resulted from the consideration that the rain water can penetrate directly into the fold through a perpendicular joint whereas this was thought not to be the case with a parallel joint. In this connection, the fact has been overlooked that it is not the raindrops or snow flakes coming from above that present the most diflicult problem as regards the fold seal but that this most difiicult problem is presented by the damming back of the rain water flowing away in the open trough or depression in the pantile or by the powdery snow that is driven into the fold by the wind. However, in both cases, the fold, which begins with a parallel joint, is endangered to a much greater extent than is the perpendicular joint over which a strong flow of water rushes and can be blown away by the wind. However the parallel joint can be penetrated since Wind can bank water and snow up against a parallel joint and force the water and snow into the oints.

A further considerable disadvantage of a parallel joint, which lies between the cover bead of the adjacent cover ing pantile and the trough or depression of the covered pantile, is also the small capacity of the water fold under this joint line. Even when a small quantity of water is to be led away the water flowing away therefore rises in the side fold and endangers the imperviousness of the roof. In the case of a perpendicular joint, however, the capacity and, with it, the safety of the side fold are considerably increased.

2,766,706 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 To this may be added the further important circumstance which may easily be overlooked in theoretical working. The amount by which a perpendicular joint can gape is limited by the clearance of the fold. The smallest measurement of joint is given when the tiles are pressed to form the fold and the largest measurement of joint is given when they are drawn to form the fold. The difference between the two measurements of the joint is the clearance of the fold. On the other hand, the amount by which a parallel joint may gape is considerably greater, since the tile can be inserted into the fold perpendicularly from above. Consequently, it can be removed therefrom in the opposite direction, i. e., upwards, to an unlimited extent and every parallel joint will gape to the same extent. The most diflicult problem as regards sealing is, therefore, not connected with the perpendicular joint but with the parallel joint. If a specially exposed opening of fold is to be designated with the term underlying joint, this applies very particularly to the apparently favorable parallel joint. The objection to the perpendicular joint had a certain amount of justification only in so far as such perpendicular joints cannot be fautlessly freed from water towards the visible surface of the pantile.

It is a further object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages, hereinbefore described, of the forms of pantile hitherto employed and to utilise the advantages of a correctly made fold beginning with a perpendicular joint.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a construction of fold pantile having an improved capacity for water run ofl and at the same time to prevent any damage to the roof or any loss of the leak-proof qualities thereof.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate diagrammatically and by way of example one embodiment of a fold pan-tile in accordance therewith, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, from the right of a fold pantile according to the invention, the pantile being inclined to the right at its upper end;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, similar to Fig. l, as seen from the left, the pantile being inclined to the left at the P;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section, drawn on a larger scale showing the side folding and covering of two adjacent pantiles;

Fig. 4 is a detail, on a larger scale, showing the water run off channel; and

Fig. 5 shows in perspective, a plurality of pantiles in position to form a roof and showing the direction of water run off.

The visible surface 1 of the pantile, as shown in the drawings, is of S-shaped cross section and includes a central longitudinally extending trough-shaped portion 5 merging into a semicircular upstanding covering bead portion along the right-hand edge and merging into an upwardly curved rib 2a along the left-hand side edge. While the bead 10 slopes down in a curve to the right-hand side edge of the pantile, which edge forms the covering side bead, the side rib 2a slopes down at its outer edge in an outwardly inclined flat surface. Together these edges with a lateral rib 11a which has a channel formed therein at 11c near the top, form a first side water fold 3a. The portion of the rib 11a above the channel has a somewhat smaller cross section than the portion below the channel. By virtue of the curved shape described of the entire visible surface 1, there results also a top end wall 2b which extends from the lowest part 5 of the trough, gradually rising to the left and right, and, together with an upper transverse rib 11b, forms a first upper fold 3b.

The lateral rib 11a and a further lateral rib 12a on the left-hand part of the pantile form a second side fold 9a and the transverse rib 11b and a further transverse rib 12b at the top end of the pantile form a second upper fold 9b. The side folds 3a and 9a are open at the top and are connected with the corresponding upper folds 3b and 9b to form a first and second waterfold, respectively. The removal of water from the upper fold 3b takes place with the part of the trough in the visible surface 1. The side fold 3a is freed from water at its lower end over a step 7 and the side fold 9a is freed from water over a step 8, the water flowing from both folds being collected in a channel 6 which comes from the fold 9a, running between the bottom part of the rib 2a and the bottom of the fold 3a, which is lower than the bottom part of the rib 2a, and thereafter extending in a downwardly arcuate path embedded in the lower front edge of the tile to end at a point substantially in the middle of the depression in the visible surface 1, to the bottom end of the front edge and below the lowest part 5 of the trough. Between the rib 2a and the edge of the covering adjacent tile, a perpendicular joint 4 is produced, as shown in Fig. 3.

It can be seen from Figs. 4 and 5 that the water can be drained from the fold almost up to the middle upper edge 2b of the pantile lying beneath it.- The channel 6 is, as shown in Fig. 4, led, from the position at which the water is drained from the four-tile corner, almost up to the center of the visible surface of the tile lying beneath it. The arrows in Fig. 5 show distinctly the course taken by the water. The arrow B shows the draining of the water from the four-tile corner to the center of the visible surface and the arrow I shows the draining of the water from the visible surface of the upper tile to the center of the particular tile that lies beneath it.

The threefold rib closures and double water folds ensure a specially good sealing. By means of the lateral rib 2a, not only is the joint 4 covered on the side facing the trough but is capacity is considerably increased. In addition, the pantile is given a streamlined shape which offers the smallest resistance to the wind. Formation of eddies and the penetration of water and powdery snow into the folds is prevented in this Way.

By freeing the side folds 3a and 9a of water over the steps 7 and 8 respectively in front of the bottom corner and discharging it through the low-lying channel 6 to the middle of the trough, it is finally rendered possible, inthe region of the corner at which four tiles meet, for the profiling of the cover head of the upper tile at the four-tile corner to be extended to the trough in the lowest tile at the four-tile corner.

What I claim is:

A fold tile of S-shaped cross-section comprising, in combination, a visible portion including a central longitudinally extending trough portion merging into a semicircular upstanding covering bead portion along one side edge and merging into an upwardly curved rib along the other side edge of said visible portion, a first water fold including a first upper fold extending along an upper edge of said visible surface and opening into said trough and a first side fold extending along a major portion of said other side edge and having one wall formed by said upwardly curved rib, said first side fold adapted to form with the covering head of an adjacent tile whenin folding relationship a perpendicular joint, the bottom of said first water fold being substantially level with the lowest part of said trough portion, a second water fold including a second upper-fold and a second side fold respectively parallel with said first upper fold and said first side fold, said second water fold having a depth less than said first water fold, a channel interconnecting said first and second side folds adjacent the ends thereof nearest the upper folds, and a second channel initially interconnecting said first and second side folds adjacent the ends thereof remote from said upper folds and further continuing as an extention of said first side fold along a remaining portion of said second mentioned side edge at a depth greater than said first side fold and thereafter extending in a downwardly arcuate path embedded in a lower front edge of said tile to a point substantially in the middle of said front edge and below the lowest part of said trough portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

